If you told an Arsenal fan at the start of the season that they would be seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with nine games to go, the easy assumption would have been that Bukayo Saka would be a Player of the Year candidate. That isn’t quite the case, however.
The Hale End graduate is starting to show all the signs of a player who was thrust into the Arsenal side and handed the responsibilities of a hero at just 19 years old.
At the time, those heroics were crucial. It’s why the Gunners are now where they are, but they’ve also come at a cost for Saka.
Now, it’s down to Mikel Arteta to find a solution and get the best out of a player whose struggles were on show for all to see against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal’s Saka problem
At 24 years old, Saka should be at the very peak of his powers. The Arsenal attack should centre around one of the most successful Hale End graduates in recent history.
Instead, he’s proving to be part of the problem for a side which often struggles to be as clinical in open play as they are from set pieces.
|
Bukayo Saka PL stats |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
23/24 |
24/25 |
25/26 |
|
Goals |
16 |
6 |
6 |
|
Assists |
9 |
10 |
3 |
|
Successful Dribbles |
49 |
41 |
48 |
|
Chances Created |
91 |
58 |
50 |
|
xG |
15.5 |
6.85 |
6.85 |
|
Minutes |
2,933 |
1,735 |
1,911 |
Since the 23/24 campaign when he was involved in 24 goal involvements, Saka has been on a clear decline. And what has been particularly noticeable about that decline is how his chance creation has dropped.
Despite the fact that Arsenal signed an out-and-out goalscorer in Viktor Gyokeres last summer, Saka has just three assists so far this season and has created 50 chances – fewer than last season after playing more minutes.
That could be an indication of the type of player that the England international thrives alongside. When it was Gabriel Jesus or Kai Havertz leading the line in 23/24, Saka recorded the best numbers of his career.
That could be one of the solutions for Arteta, but it’s not the only one. The Spaniard also needs to look at other players around Saka at this stage of the season.
With fixtures coming thick and fast, he can revive the winger by dropping one of Arsenal’s key players.
How Arteta can get more out of Saka
There hasn’t been a better right-back in the Premier League this season than Jurrien Timber. But what that also means is that you’ll have a tough task finding another right-back who’s started 27 of 29 league games in the current campaign.
It’s a credit to the Dutchman’s consistency, though it’s worth pointing out that even he’s not immune to the fatigue of the Premier League calendar having shown plenty of signs of it as of late.
It was a particular night to forget for the £34m defender against Leverkusen and that far from helped Saka down the right-hand side. As Arsenal reporter Connor Humm noted, Timber simply “looks dead on his feet” at this stage of the season.
|
Timber vs Leverkusen |
Stats |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
90 |
|
Duels Won |
2/3 |
|
Defensive contributions |
2 |
|
Recoveries |
3 |
|
Passes into final third |
3 |
It’s not a performance that Arsenal have become accustomed to seeing from the 24-year-old. The true context of his drop-off in Germany can be seen when comparing performances for the majority of the campaign.
Per 90 minutes this season, Timber has averaged over five successful ground duels compared to the two that he managed against Leverkusen. What’s more, he also tends to create, on average, one chance per game, which he failed to do against the Bundesliga side on Wednesday night.
That, combined with just three passes into the final third, did not help Saka. Given his own struggles, the least that the England international needs is consistent service.
It’s something that he’s not currently receiving from a shattered Timber, who should be dropped before Arsenal face consequences far worse than a first-leg draw in the Champions League.
Arsenal have two players to blame for Saka’s terrible display v Leverkusen
Bukayo Saka is stuck in a poor run of form at Arsenal.